Gogi Pod
'Overview' Expand 'Appearance' While its petals are actually pods in every stage, with the exception of full maturity, it is a very beautiful flower. It is very rare and grows only on the mountainside, thriving on any continent (excluding Siyari). While very slow to spread, it grows extremely rapidly. Stage 1: In its earliest stage, the flower is a small black ball covered in thorns. Its "seed" is carried up the mountains on the fur of aer. At this stage, any aer who attempts to eat it would suffer internal damage, from very bad bleeding to intense pain. First, a deep root system develops, traveling deep into the rock of the mountain, and sometimes even growing all the way through the mountain to find a large water source. Stage 2: Once the roots find water, the flower grows at a very rapid pace. The ball turns green and expands to two feet across. Although losing a small amount of barbs, at this point it is completely inedible, and still sharp enough to cause severe cuts to the inside of an aer's mouth. Stage 3: The next stage sees the growth of the first pods. In the time it takes for the sun to set, the pods expand to a foot long and grow as big as a Dark's head. The color slowly changes from a bright green to a pale pink spotted with black. At this stage they fill with a sweet golden nectar (see Elixir of Truth) that is capable of completely replenishing an Aer's need for food or drink and causes intense feelings of euphoria, among other unexplained magical phenomenon. Stage 4: The final stage of the Gogi pod flower is the most impressive and most deadly. The nectar is soaked back into the flower's pods and they burst open, emitting a black fog. The spore-like mist is extremely toxic, causing a fungus to grow inside the lungs, clogging them. It is almost always fatal, and the only know cure is the nectar from the Gogi pod. Stage 5: The flower then rots and the core shrivels back to its small burred form once again. The plant matter surrounding a decaying Gogi pod will also putrefy, leaving a large black scar of dead plants that takes many cycles to disappear completely. Eventually the seed is carried off to another area and the cycle repeats. 'Habitat' The gogi pod is a freak accident resulting from years of human engineering to create the perfect crop. A fast-growing and extremely nourishing plant was designed to fulfil their nutritional needs. There were a limited number of these seeds to begin with, but when the ruined facility that held the seeds was hit my a magistorm, all but two of the seeds were destroyed. This magistorm is precisely what caused the magical effect of the nectar and is the reason why the seeds never seem to die, but always end up in a new place. The same number of these flowers are alive today since they were first bred. 'Lore & Culture' Elixir Of Truth: Among lights and darks, this nectar holds a special place. Often called the Elixir of Truth, it temporarily enhances the natural abilities of a dark, and offers lights a complete temporary immunity from the darks' abilities. 'Uses' In stage five, the toxic spores that are emitted, if safely harvested, can be used as a lethal poison in everything from food to coating biosteel blades, as the spores are only harmful when they have entered the body. In stage three, the golden nectar produced by the plant can sustain all the food and water needs of any being who ingests it for an extremely long time. It also has magical qualities** that can cure small ailments and in certain cases amplify magical abilities. **WARNING: The magical effects of the gogi plant are not completely known and could cause serious harm. Not all side effects are good; in fact, most are harmful, though given the plant's rarity, the true number of side effects can never truly be known (see side effects below). Known side effects: temporary blindness inability to use magic inability to fly enhanced senses intense pain magical ability increases mental breakdown extremely realistic night terrors Category:plants